Support.



M. D. S. STILES.

SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED APR.6,1914.

1, 1 1 9,896. Patenfied Dec. 8, 1914.

To all whom it may concern .7

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i i MATTHEW D. S. STILES, 0F RIDLEY PARK, PENNSYLVAHLA.

Application filed April 6, 1914 'Serial No. 829,939.

-Be it known that I, MA'rrnEw- D; S.

STILES, a citizen of theUnited States, resid ing at Ridley Park, in the county of Delaware and State of-Pennsylvania, have invented certain new land useful Improvements in Supports, of which the following is a. specification.

My invention relates to improvements in supports, the object of the invention being to provide improved couplingsdevices connectingthe collars and legs, and also adapt ed to support the lower ends of the legs, per- 4 mitting steelcollais' and legs to be employed with their ends cut at 'rightangles A further object is to provide a device of this character which is designed for use-as a mine support, for a support for tunnels, and in fact for all. classesof'underground work requiring supports aswell as any class 0f -overl'\ead 'worlcfor which my improve ments may be adapted.- j

A iurther; objectis toprovide improved coupling devices which may berol'led or otherwise formed of metal and utilized at both ends of the collarandiat the lower ends of the legs withoutchan'ge. v

Heretofordin structures of this character, it has been common toiuse wood and recess the ends of the collar to receive the upper ends of thelegs, the latter cut at a bevel to fit into the recessed end of thecollan Where metal collars and legs have been employed, it has been customary to cut-the end of the .leg at an angleand use brackets or angles to bolt the leg to the collar. \Vith my ini proved construction, I dispense altogether with the necessity for cutting the ends of the legs at an angle, and provide coupling devices vwhich securely lock the parts together And preclude possibility of movement in any direction.

iVit-h these and other objects in view the invention consists incertuiu novel features of construction and combinations andarruugcments of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims. I

In the accoi'upanying drawings: Figure l is it view in elevation illustrating my improvements Fig. 2 is a view in elevation at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary eic :rtiou illustrating a modification. rig. -'l [S a view in longitudinal sec tion of the coupling. Fig. 5 is a fragmem Specification of Letters lutent SUPPORT.

Patented nee. 8, 191a.

tery elevation illustrating another modification. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the couplings shown in Figs 1, 2, and t.

1 represents a horizontal collar which preferably, although not essentially, consists of an Il-heam, and 2,2, are-the metal legs supporting the collar and arepreferablv H-beanis. The ends of thelegs 2, L at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the legs, and at their upper ends they-are connected to the collar'l hy-couplings-3, and

one ct Zare cut at their lower ends they are, supported on concrete footings a: by; couplings 3. In other words, all four couplings areprecisely alike in construction the upper couplingsbeing positioned reversely tothe lower couplings.

In Figs. 4: and (i I illustrate one of these couplings which consists of-a. base'5 having three transverse webs .6, 7; and 8, on one face, and a. single transverse-web 9;on its other face at the sameedge listen 6, and

located at a. right angleto theflowerface of base 5. The webs 6, 7, undo are-located in parallelism andere at-an angle to lilie upper' face of base 5. .llghile I have sh'ow' na particular number of webs, I would have itunderstood that the invention'isi ot limited in this particular as I may use-.any-niimberof webs desired. The web. 8. projects "in a higher plane than the webs 6 and 7, sothat this web 8 is positioned against the end of the collar, while the webs (3,7, and'a trans- 4 verse enlargement 5 on base 5 adplcent web 8, support the collar directly thereupon. The couplings 3 at the upper ends of'the legs 2-, are provided in thc web 7 with bolt openings 710 for the reception of bolts-1 1 which pro- .legs, and without cutting recesses in either the iollar or the legs.

The couplings 3 supporting the lower ends of the legs receive the lower ends of the legsagainst the webs 6, 7, and enlargements 5, while the webs 8 lie against the inner face of the legs and the webs 9 against the sides of the footing 4, hence said couplings prevent any possibility of lateral movement, and insure a firm and rigid sup port against strainsand stresses from all directions.

The webs 8 are provided with bolt openings 8, and these bolt openings 8? and the bolt openings 13 above referred to in the webs 9, permit the couplings to be secured to the bars and to be anchored in the footing by the bolts 8 to insure a secure connection of the parts.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 3, the coupling 16 corresponding to cou ling 3, is secured to the collar 1, and leg 2 by angle brackets 17 and 18 with bolts 19 and 20 projected through the collar and leg respectively, and secured by nuts 21 and This coupling 16 is also utilized for sup porting the lower end of the leg, and in Fig. 5, another modified form of coupling 23 is illustrated which may be used for connecting an ordinary timber 22 such as commonly used in mines with a metal leg 3 or may be used for metal legs as well. This coupling 23 has webs 2+1 and 25 at its ends projecting in opposite directions, the former located against the end of the timber 22, and the latter secured by a bolt 26 and nut 27 to the leg 2.

In all forms of coupling, it will be ob served that the couplings are so constructed that they provide supporting surfaces at an angle to each other, so that while one surface permits a horizontal positioning of the collar 1, the other surface receives there against the end of a leg at an angle to the collar, hence metal bars may be cut off in lengths and utilized to the best possible advantage in structures of this kind.

Various slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangementof parts described without departing from my in vention, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit .and. scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A coupling of the character described, comprising a casting having on one side a horizontal surface, and on its other side an inclined surface at an angle to the lI0llZ0ll tal surface, said casting ha ving webs at both ends projecting in opposite directions. said webs having openings therein, and said casting having openings in its intermediate portion, substantially as described.

'2. The combination with two inclined legs. of couplings located on the upper ends of the legs and having inclined bearing surfaces on the ends of the legs, and horizontal bearing surfaces above the inclined surfaces, a horizontal collar supported upon the horizontal bearing surfaces of the couplings, said couplings having flanges at their outer ends engaging the outer surfaces of the collar, said couplings having flanges at their inner ends engaging the inner faces of the legs, and securing devices securing the couplings to the collar and to the legs, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a horizontal collar, and inclined legs, of couplings located between the upper ends of the legs and the collar, said couplings having surfaces at an angle to each other, one surface receiving the collar, and the other surface receiving the upper end of the leg, upwardly projecting webs on the outer ends of the couplings located against the ends-of the collar, and depending webs on the inner ends of the couplings secured to the legs, substantially as described. 4

-'l. The combination with a horizontal collar, and inclined legs, of couplings located between the upper ends of the legs andthe. collar, said couplings having surfacesat an angle to each other, one surface receiving the collar, and the other surface receiving the upper ends 'of the leg, upwardly projecting webs on the. outer ends of the couplings located against the ends of the collar, and depending webs on the inner ends of the couplings secured to the legs,-a nd similar couplings supporting the lower ends of the legs, substantially as described.

The combination with a horizontal colla r, inclined logs below the collar, and'footings below the lower ends of the legs,-v of coupling devices connecting the legs and the collar, and the legs and the footings, all of said couplings constructed alike and having supporting surfaces at opposite sides at an angle to each other, and having a plurality of webs constituting one supporting surface and flanges at its ends, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subs( -.ribing witnesses.

lllA'lTIlFlV D. S SITLES. \Vitncsscs:

Janus H. (mun, VVM. C. Womr. 

